Cop defends his shooting of suspect

Eric Brazil, OF THE EXAMINER STAFF

Published 4:00 am, Friday, November 3, 1995

1995-11-03 04:00:00 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- A San Francisco police officer shot to death an unarmed hit-and-run driver because the man made "furtive movements" and could have killed somebody with his van, investigators say.

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Sheenan's van ran a red light and banged into a produce truck on Hyde Street about 1:45 p.m. and sped away without stopping, Adkins said. Two nearby teams of police plainclothes officers, working on separate cases, gave chase.

At least two other police officers, a Drug Enforcement Administration agent and two postal police officers were at the scene, but only Haggett fired, Adkins said.

"Not necessarily a mistake'&lt;

"It was not necessarily a mistake," Adkins said. "He feared for his own safety."

Sheenan allegedly made "furtive movements" inside the van that made Haggett think he had a gun, Adkins said.

Police Lt. Gary Pisciotto, who is leading the investigation of the case, said that the shots which struck Sheenan were fired from close range, "maybe five to six feet."

Sheenan was shot twice, though neither Adkins nor Pisciotto would say whether he was inside or outside of the van. No weapon was found.

Postal police Sgt. John Goodman, 47, whose car was battered by Sheenan's van, declined to discuss the incident with reporters. Postal Inspector Frank Ducor said Friday that Goodman, who suffered back and neck injuries, never saw Sheenan when his vehicle was rammed.

Just what spooked Sheenan into his vehicular rampage is unclear.

The shooting is being investigated by the Police Department's homicide detail, by Haggett's commander, Southern Station Capt. Mike Yallon, and by the district attorney's office.

Haggett has been temporarily assigned to the homicide division. That's so he'll be available to answer questions, Pisciotto said. Officers Ross Laflin and James Miller, who were present at the fatal shooting, have also been assigned to homicide, he said.

Adkins said that police who searched Sheenan on the street earlier in the day found him to be in possession of a crack cocaine pipe. "He was ordered to report to (his parole agent) immediately, and perhaps that's where he was going," Adkins said.

Sheenan's widow, Leslie, told KTVU-TV that Sheenan had indeed been on his way to his parole officer.

According to San Francisco police, Sheenan had served 13 years in prison in Massachusetts for armed robbery. He spent one year and four months in prison in California for receiving stolen property before being paroled in August 1993. His criminal record also included two convictions for possessing a controlled substance and four convictions for burglary, according to the California Department of Corrections.

Leslie Sheenan said her husband had recently entered a drug treatment program.

"It wasn't a court-ordered program, so he was making attempts," she said. "There was certainly no reason for him to run." &lt;